First ERC Synergy Grant Projects announced under Horizon Europe

The European Research Council (ERC) has announced the results of the first call for Synergy Grants under Horizon Europe.

ERC Synergy Grants address ambitious research questions that can only be answered by the coordinated work of a small group of two to four principal Investigators (PIs). This will facilitate the bringing together of complementary skills, knowledge and resources in new and unconventional ways, with the aims to promote substantial advances at the frontiers of knowledge, cross-fertilise scientific fields, and encourage new productive lines of enquiry and new methods and techniques.

Awards may be made up to a maximum of €10 million for a period of six years, with an additional €4 million available to cover start-up costs for moving abroad, major equipment, access to large facilities, and fieldwork costs. Applications may be made in any field of research, and proposals that cross disciplinary boundaries, pioneering ideas that address new and emerging fields and applications that introduce unconventional, innovative approaches are particularly encouraged.

A total of 360 proposals were submitted in the first round, of which 29 will receive funding. The selected projects cover a variety of different fields and questions, including:

• ‘HEAVYMETAL’, a project investigating the origins of heavy elements through merging neutron stars.
• ‘REAL’, an economic project exploring whether a transition away from a narrow focus on economic growth may lead to a more ecologically stable and socially prosperous future than current trajectories.
• ‘Green2Ice’, a project to investigate the Greenland icesheet’s age and stability.

The 29 winning projects involve 105 principal investigators who will carry out their research at universities and research centres in 19 countries across Europe and beyond. The most common locations where these lead researchers are based are Germany (23 principal investigators on 14 projects), France (22 principal investigators on 15 projects) and Israel (7 principal investigators on 4 projects). 16 principal investigators will be based USA, Australia, UK or Switzerland.

The ERC estimates that the grants will help to create around 1,000 jobs for postdoctoral fellows, PhD students, and other staff in the grantees’ research teams. Further details of the funded grants are available here.

Applications for the current round of Synergy Grants will close on 8 November 2022.